Wings of the Wind
by Silva Bramley
Summary: Normally he'd do about anything to cheer her up – he'd dug up a sakura tree and floated it down the river by her house once, even – but her most recent request had him balking. Of all the things, why would she ask him to do that?


Lucy was sick. Natsu hated it when she was sick. Heck, he hated it when she was anything other than happy and smiling. It was a weakness of his. He just couldn't stand to see anyone upset without doing something about it. Especially if it was Lucy.

Normally he'd do about anything to cheer her up – he'd dug up a sakura tree and floated it down the river by her house once, even – but her most recent request had him balking. Of all the things, why would she ask him to do _that_?

He wasn't even sure if he could. He'd never done it before, really. Natsu had heard others do it, but he didn't know how to go about it in a way that would be remotely pleasing to the blonde.

Natsu leaned closer to give her a level look, "Are you sure, Lucy? Isn't there anything else I could do?"

"Please, Natsu," she pleaded. "My mother used to always sing to me when I was sick. It always made me feel better."

The expression on her face was pulling at his heartstrings. Man, he didn't want to do it! He knew he would if she kept looking at him like that. Natsu tried getting out of it again, "I can go get Mirajane. She's a wonderful singer. Or, you could call out that one spirit. What was her name again? Luna? Kyra?"

"Her name is Lyra," Lucy said. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, "But, I want to hear _you_ sing for me. Please, please, Natsu."

"Why does it have to be me?" he asked, desperate.

She smiled, "Because it'll be more special if you do it. I want you to because you're my best friend and the person I'm closest to, like my mom used to be."

Well, now he definitely had to. Sighing, he tucked himself into the covers next to her.

"You can't look at me though," he said.

"I won't, I promise," she said.

He opened his mouth and prepared to sing, when he realized that he didn't know any songs. At least, not any he could think of. When he voiced this, Lucy laughed.

"Seriously? No songs at all?"

"I'm a fighter not a singer, Lucy," he said, crossing his arms and turning slightly pink in the cheeks.

"I know a song!" Happy exclaimed.

"There you go," Lucy said with a nod, "Happy will help you."

The cat stood up and sang off key, "If you're Happy and you know it, clap your hands! If you're Happy and you know it, clap your hands!"

Natsu clapped his hands, but Lucy groaned, "No! Not that song!"

"Lucy's mean!" Happy cried.

"Do you know any other songs, Happy? Any that aren't children songs?" Lucy asked.

Happy thought for a moment, looking uncharacteristically serious, before enthusiastically breaking out into song again, "I love fishes, because they're so delicious! Gone to go fishin'! I could eat them every day and my mom says that's okay. Gone to go fishin'! They smile until you bite their heads off!"

"That was beautiful, Happy, really, but how about a song that isn't about fish?" Lucy said.

Happy shrugged his shoulders, "I don't have anything."

"Oh," Lucy said. She tried to think of a song that would be relatively easy to teach to the dragonslayer that sounded nice and wouldn't be something he would refuse to sing.

"It's okay," Natsu said. He sat up straighter in the bed and cleared his throat, "I remembered a song, actually."

Lucy set her eyes on the ceiling to keep her promise, "Alright. I'm ready."

"No laughing, either," Natsu added.

"I wouldn't ever," Lucy said.

He hesitated for a long moment. There was something intimate about this moment. That they were lying in bed and he was going to sing for her. Sure, Happy was curled up next to Lucy's pillow, so they weren't completely alone. Even so, this had a different feel than if he'd been asked to sing at the guild. Maybe he wouldn't have cared or been nervous at all and just belted out the first line that popped into his mind.

But, this was for Lucy. He fisted his hand for courage and sighed before he started to sing, "On the wings of the wind o'er the dark rolling deep / angels are coming to watch over thee / so list to the wind coming over the sea."

Lucy smiled at the ceiling, her eyes drifting half closed as she listened to him sing. Natsu watched her as he sang, trying to interpret her reactions and because the song was for her.

"Hear the wind blow, love, hear the wind blow/ hang your head o'er and hear the wind blow / hear the wind blow, love, hear the wind blow / hang your head o'er and hear the wind blow.

"The currachs are sailing way out on the blue / chasing the herring and silver the sea / soon they'll be silver for my love and me.

"Hear the wind blow, love, hear the wind blow/ hang your head o'er and hear the wind blow / hear the wind blow, love, hear the wind blow / hang your head o'er and hear the wind blow."

When he finished, she turned to look at him. For some weird reason, there were tears shining in her eyes that embarrassed him.

"Natsu," she said. "That was wonderful! Where did you learn that?"

"Igneel would sing that sometimes," Natsu said with a shrug.

Lucy's eyes drifted upward and she seemed to be picturing this, "A dragon singing?"

"Yeah. The whole cave would shake," Natsu said.

She laughed, "That's something I'd like to see."

He laughed, too, and then they were quiet for a few minutes. Lucy propped her head on her hand and poked his cheek, "Will you sing it for me again?"

Natsu made a face, "Again? Why?"

"Because I liked the song and I like your singing," Lucy said.

"Am I good singer?" Maybe he was better than Gajeel. The thought made him grin.

"No," Lucy said with a laugh. "But, I like listening to you. Sing again, please?"

He huffed, but sang the song again for her. This time, he forgot to tell her not to look at him and she watched him. He watched her watching him. The third time, she snuggled to his side, stretching an arm across his chest, and felt the song against her cheek. The fourth she sang along.

The fifth time, she tucked her head under his chin and drifted off to sleep. He hadn't noticed before how soft her hair was. He ran his fingers through it, watching the strands slip away easily. Happy made a snorting noise and Natsu dropped her hair, remembering him.

"You liiiiiike each other."


End file.
